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CHARLES-FRANÇOIS GOUNOD

Symphony No.1 (completed by 1855)

25:43

in D major • in D-Dur • en ré majeur

À la Société des Jeunes Artistes

1.

Allegro molto

6:10

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2.

Allegretto moderato

3:45

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3.

Scherzo. Non troppo presto - Trio - Da Capo il minuetto

6:43

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4.

Finale. Adagio - Allegro vivace

8:55

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Symphony No.2 (complete by 1856)

35:54

in E flat major • in Es-Dur • en mi bémol majeur

5.

I

Adagio - Allegro agitato

11:14

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6.

II

Larghetto (non troppo)

8:00

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7.

III

Scherzo. Allegro molto - [Trio] - Ca capo [il Scherzo]

7:05

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8.

IV

Finale. Allegro, leggiero assai

9:21

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Total time: 61:47

Orchestra: Iceland Symphony Orchestra

Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir leader

Conductor:Yan Pascal Tortelier

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Notes

After winning the Prix de Rome for his cantata Fernand in 1839 and spending two years in Rome, Gounod should have gone on to study in Germany, but he managed in 1842 to persuade the authorities that he should remain in Rome to work on a symphony.

In 1843 he visited Mendelssohn who (while trying to dissuade him from wasting his time on Goethe’s Faust!) urged him to write another symphony. We do not know how much of the First Symphony Gounod had completed by then, but it is not surprising that Mendelssohn figures as one of the key influences on both symphonies. After performances of individual movements in 1855, premieres were given of the First on 4 March that year and of the Second on 13 February 1856.

“… delivered with delicious brio by Tortelier and his virtuosic Icelanders. Superb Chandos engineering, as ever.”

Hugh Canning – The Sunday Times (Culture magazine) – 14 July 2019

***** (Essential Album)

Jacques Bonnaure – Classica magazine (France) – June 2019

“The two symphonies of Charles Gounod unjustifiably stand in the shadow of the great works of the genre. Thanks to Yan Pascal Tortelier and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra we have now the opportunity to hear these excellent symphonies in committed and gripping performances.” *****

Uwe Krusch – Pizzicato.lu – 27 May 2019

Recommended

“… a very desirable recording, one which I cannot recommend highly enough.”

Stuart Sillitoe - MusicWeb-International.com – 3 June 2019

Editor’s Choice – Orchestral

“’... he [Tortelier] brings wit and charm to this delightful pair of works…”

Mark Pullinger – Gramophone magazine – June 2019

“… Tortelier doesn’t disappoint in this recording and generally moves through the bars at a sprightly pace. The Iceland Symphony Orchestra respond with warmth and vitality; the clearly defined wind sections and rich bass nicely enhancing the depth of Gounod’s score…”

Raymond J Walker – MusicWeb-International.com – 17 May 2019

Performance ***** Recording *****

“… The deliciously vivacious First Symphony in D always seems to bring out the best in its interpreters, and here Tortelier obtains a smiling quality from his Icelandic players, who phrase everything with an affectionate warmth that is irresistible. Yet it is the Second Symphony which emerges here as arguably the stronger work, its sparkling vim and vitality, prefaced by a memorable Adagio introduction, caught resplendently in atmospheric yet impactful and detailed Chandos sound.”

Julian Haylock – BBC Music magazine – June 2019

“… He was [Gounod] very accomplished with orchestra alone as these Symphonies (both from the mid-1850s) handsomely demonstrate. They are so delightful (and he left a Third unfinished); Yan Pascal Tortelier and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra make sunny weather of them. It would be all-too-easy to become samey in describing the eight movements. Suffice to say each is a gem – joyous, charming, lyrical and witty, the latter quality cueing some Rossini-like ribaldry… The playing is of sensitivity, élan and enjoyment, and Tortelier knows just how this music goes, and is aided and abetted by Brian Pidgeon (producer) and Jonathan Cooper (engineer) for an end-result that is going to be played often and with much pleasure. *****

Colin Anderson – ClassicalSource.com – 1 April 2019

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About Chandos

Chandos Records is one of the world's premier classical music record companies, best known for its ground breaking search for neglected musical gems. The company has pioneered the idea of the 'series' and proudly includes series of such composers as Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Parry, Walton, Grainger, Berkeley and Bridge. Renowned for its superb sound quality, Chandos has won many prestigious awards for its natural sound.